I give up----what to do about the *$#@&@^^$#@*@# steering box

i'm bout ready to shoot the truck and throw it into the fire----i completly obliterated the steering box---this is the 3rd time it has completly come off, and about the 5th time ive gone in there and tried to fix it. this time i sheered 3 bolts (the 2 front, and top back) and broke the ear (where the bolt goes through the box itself)--it completly fell off and had to tow it throught the desert w/o ANY steering--i had to get out every little bump in the road to turn the tires they needed to go. /forums/images/graemlins/angryfire.gif /forums/images/graemlins/angryfire.gif /forums/images/graemlins/angryfire.gif /forums/images/graemlins/angryfire.gif im bout ready to throw the towel. /forums/images/graemlins/angryfire.gif /forums/images/graemlins/angryfire.gif /forums/images/graemlins/angryfire.gif

option 1
i have the drivetrain to start a buggy, but i really like the "fullsize" coolness factor.

option 2
i have acess to a free blazer frame--i could go an beef up every little area that need fixen (steering box, engine crossmember, random areas at rear of truck.)
but that would be alot of work to MABYE still have it break again. and i still need to go hydro assist.

option 3
go full hydro--i like this option but there goes street drives and i have completly no idea where to start w/ that.
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I've done the whole frame of replace, it's not hard, just time consuming! If you have a rolling chasis that can be ready to drop in when you lift the body off the old, that makes it much faster! If not, taking the time to swap every little detail like brake lines and gas lines as well as gas tanks and such, that's where the time comes in! LAter!

the last time we fixed the frame, i think we fixed it pretty good, even though we could have gotten it better if the motor was out. The last time it broke it tore through both the frame and weld in brace---so we drilled out the holes to 3/4" (thats about the biggest hole there was) boxed the frame at the front 2 holes and sleeved those holes w/ some thick tubing (forgot what dim. /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif) now the frame held up this time (there is a small crack on the bottom rear bolt, but i don't know what that occured) but it was the bolts that completly sheered and the ear that broke right off---i might have some pics tomarrow.aaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! /forums/images/graemlins/angryfire.gif

Maybe a dumb question but do you have the steering brace kit such as the ORD or autofab kit don't you. The kit will triangulate the frame in the high stress area. I have seen frames patched, welded, boxed, and sistered and all eventually broke because that is a bandaid not a fix for an inherent design flaw by GM. I run 38.5 boggers locked front and bash it on hard trails and have never had as much as a hairline crack after installing the Autofab kit. If you already have this and are still breaking don't know what to do.

many people are of the opinion that a 1.5" ram is decent on the street. as you go up, the rams "reaction time" gets slower and slower.

With a hydro assist, most of the stress to your frame would be gone, from my readings. And the WTOR kit is economical, IMHO, compared to some of the other systems out there, unless you can fab &amp; tap your own.

the ones that broke were short---but--- they were longer than the factory ones due to the sleeves. they were the factory size (what 1/2" i think) and grade 8--all of them. the longest one that i had (the top front) just tore throught the threads on the box ( i know a nut on the back would help, but it's too late now)

you dont hear of people smashing the box casting itself that much.
I wonder what you are doing different?
the ram idea would move the stress to another area, and by the sounds of it you had better mount it real solid.

ORD Brace - if not already there. But with 42's...shame on you if you dont have this already! /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

More bracing - Who knows? Maybe the box area is permanently weakened from all the other fixes. But maybe by extending your braces even further outside the area, you'll tie them into stronger metal?

Hydro-ASSIST - the "assist" is the key word. It would still be street legal, and a small ram wouldn't make it SLOW on the street. This seems like a great idea as a way to move some of the steering "work" away from the steering box/frame area.

myou sheered off grade 8 bolts? maybe i'm the only one here that thinks this, but i think something else is your problem. i've heard of the frame cracking, but not the bolts. i think there's another problem behind this. that's just my thought. /forums/images/graemlins/k5.gif

I'd suggest running longer bolts throught the box and adding nuts to the box side. The hydro assist would definitly relieve stress off the frame and steering box. Before I added the West Texas kit the frame would flex a lot around the steering box when the steering was cycled back and forth. It would flex side to side due to the motion of the crossover draglink. After installing the ram the frame doesn't flex at all. I'm running the 1.75" ram on 42's on my daily driver, street manners are great. /forums/images/graemlins/thumb.gif

OK sheered off is serious.
Let me try something I learned from Grim, MIND reading:
You said you boxed the frame, but you didn't say anything about the steering setup. If you did a cross over, you changed the flexing direction of the frame from twisting the frame to moving it sideways.
When you turn the wheel the frame is changed from square to parallelogram, and with the boxing preventing the bolts from turning in the same angle they sheered off.
Did I get the setup right?
With the cross over steering you need a different type of bracing than the ORD brace.
You will need to triangulate the frame on the corners.
I have the same problem on my Jeep which has stock cross over steering, and I am working on a brace for it.

instead of the factory setup where while turning it moves the box in an up and down movement--right? and now w/ the crossover it is moving the box left and right--hence the top front bolt ripping throught the box and the bottom back ear actually breaking off the box. but whats funny is the frame is fine, but the box????? well i guess i start saving my pennies for the WTO kit. /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif

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